Bacterial Contamination
by Shivaness
Summary: Bullied through high school, life became different for her. Anyone who opened up to her became a threat and common sense is no longer in play. Can someone cure this contamination?
1. Chapter 1

_"I want this to end..."._

_"It hurts...it hurts..."._

Curled up in a fetal position in an alley way while three girls grouped up and pummeled their fists and legs onto her, she couldn't even let out a scream of pain. These exact same girls always pulled her aside ever single day since the start of high school just to bully her, yet unable to say or do anything against it for the fear of it never stopping caused her to find an alternate to this. It was something she kept to herself ever since the first day it happened. Ever since that unfaithful day things had changed for her drastically, from her physical state to her mental state. No one was to be trusted, even if they reached their hand out to her she had lost all common sense and automatically declared them a threat. To some point her body became fragile at the spine and rib cage from the constant beatings she received. Having to dress very conservative became a hobby for her since she had to cover herself from head to toe in order to hide the bruises and cuts that covered her frame.

_"I think that's enough for today...let's go" said the ring leader of the group._

_"I hope you learn your lesson"said the other._

_"Remember, if you ever tell anyone we'll kill you" said the last one._

Just able to sit up and give them a shaken nod, she was finally free to go home. The three girls left casually out of the alley way as she was finally able to stand up to pick up her belongings and adjust her clothes. Wearing a blue plaid skirt with black stockings and a hoddie to cover herself, she walked out of the alley way and headed home. Tightly gripping her school bag over her chest to give her some sort of comfort, it was still hard. Having gone through this several years, by now she thought she would be used to it but apparently not.

To start things off, she never knew what she did to deserve this. In middle school she was friends with a decent amount of people and cherished her friends, but once high school started it had all changed. Next thing she knew she was being ignored by her own friends and bullied by the so called 'popular' girls in school. It started off with being ignored and soon grew into actual beatings after school. Telling her parents about this would be out of the question since they weren't in this world any more and the only other person she could rely on would be her brother, Gary, but he was usually never home since he was in active duty off somewhere classified and it's not like she would call him just to tell him that she was being bullied at school. Having no option but to keep it to herself, it ate at her ever single day for the fact that there was no one there for her and it was driving her insane.

Picking up her pace to hurry on home, it didn't take her long to arrive in her quiet little neighborhood and rush into her house. Slamming the door behind her, breathing heavily only to drop her school bag on the floor and hold herself back from crying.

"Shiva, are you home?" asked a familiar voice.

That voice, it was her brother. Not wanting him to see her as she was, the stairs would have been her option if she didn't see him appear from the corner of the living room and stand in front of her.

"Bloody hell ya've grown!" he said while wrapping his arms around her for a hug.

Shocked from seeing him here, the wounds on her back weren't even an issue. Lifting her up from the ground for a tight squeeze, he was quick to set her down and drag her to the living room where two other men stood before her.

"Lads, this here is my sister Shiva. Sis, this is my Cap'n, John and my Lieutenant, Simon" said Gary.

Being shoved in front of them, she lifted her hand up to greet them.

"A pleasure to meet you both" said Shiva shaking John's hand followed by Simon.

"The pleasure is all ours, little miss" said John.

"Sis, take off your jacket won't ya? It ain't that cold in here" said Gary.

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom" said Shiva quickly as she rushed upstairs to the bathroom and locked it behind her. Removing her hoddie to reveal her bruised up arms, she dug through the cabinet to find her make-up bag and proceeded in patching herself up before she even went back down stairs. For one particular cut she had to apply a band-aid, but aside that she packed her make-up before coming back down stairs to smile at her guests.

"I am sorry about that, nature was calling" said Shiva.

"Excited that your brother is back home?" joked Gary.

"What can I say, it's been a year since you've been home" said Shiva.

"Sorry about that sis, but work has been quite hectic. Wish I could come see ya more often" said Gary.

"Don't worry about it, brother. I understand" said Shiva.

"You're such a good girl. Which is why I have a surprise for you. I've got some time off so for the next couple of months I am off so I'll be here until then!" said Gary.

"Really?" said Shiva with concern.

"Not happy about it?" asked Gary.

"It's not that, but you sure it will be alright?" said Shiva.

"Don't worry about it, miss. The three of us are in vacation for a while so it will be quite fine" said John.

In a way this concerned her for the main reason being that he would eventually find out about the bullying, which was something she didn't want him to know about. Accustomed to this lifestyle and with her trust issues would only cause her stress. This triggered a panic reaction as she had to excuse herself from them.

"Sorry to leave so soon but I have homework to do" said Shiva.

"Go ahead, but we've got lots of catching up to do!" said Gary.

Smiling at him, she then proceeded to leave the living room and rushed up the stairs to run into her room and locked it. Resting her back against the door, once again her heart began to run fast and her breathing became heavy.

_"No...he can't find out...why now..."._

Slumping down on the floor as she pulled her knees up to her chest and sunk her head in between, this was as bad as things were gonna get.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hell John, I forgot you even had a sister" said John.

"Can't say much about her since when I'm here it's usually for maybe a week before I'm gone again. Besides, she's either at school or working hard on her homework so we don't really much get time to begin with" said Gary.

"Pull her out once in a while, you guys are family anyway" said John.

"How old is she?" asked Simon.

"Hm...not sure. Let's see...last year she was...oh! She's 17 I think" said Gary.

"Ah the youth...wish I were 17 again" said John.

Simon noticed an item at the corner of his eye, which turned to be Shiva's school bag that was left at the door. Making his way over to it, Simon picked it up and waved it over to Gary.

"Your little sister might be having a little trouble with homework if her bag is down here" said Simon.

"Huh, it was probably when I sort of just pulled her in here. Why don't ya take it to her, her room is upstairs on the right...I think" said Gary.

"Sure, mate" said Simon.

Trotting up the stairs to try and find Shiva's room, it would be the first door from the right side of the stairs. Firmly knocking on the door, this startled a sulking Shiva which caused her to jump up and cautiously open the door. To her surprise it was one of the companions her brother had brought along.

"You forgot this downstairs, little lady" said Simon handing it to her.

Thank you" said Shiva taking a hold of it.

The position of her hand reaching up to grab it caused her shoulder to jerk a little and cause her to wince in pain. This was noticed by Simon who by instinct stepped in to wonder if she was alright.

"You okay there?" asked Simon.

Instinct took over when he had stepped foot into her room as she quickly shoved him back out and slammed the door in front of him. Holding the door from opening again, she could only think that he was after her and perhaps this was a set up from the other girls. The one place she thought would be safe immediately turned into a hostile situation for her. Confused by the situation, all Simon could do is pass it as an act of "don't talk to strangers", even though they had already properly introduced themselves. Not giving it a second thought, he made his way back down stairs to group up with the other two and continue their conversation.

The room began to tremble in her eyes, with such vivid lighting she could only make her way to the bed and curl up in a fetal position to try and block any thoughts from composing in her head. Simon was supposed to be a friend of her brother, wasn't he? No, perhaps it was a planned attack on her and all she could do is try to keep them away from her own room. This was all her mind could think about, such distorted thoughts and situations. Everything was just fine before, but now that she was forced to talk to someone she feels like they too become a threat if any one finds out. Every single time she tried to reach out to someone, they would always have the consequence of having the bullying get passed to them before it would bounce back to her. Yet those small moments where she would be free'd from their grasps was worth it for her. It had been a couple of times she purposely befriended another student so that she could get the satisfaction of feeling like she was still alive. If only for a moment she could talk to another human being that listened to what she had to say and give her direct responses, yet it would never last long before her predators would eventually come for her new 'friend' first, followed by herself yet again. Can one imagine never being talked to? Never have interaction with another person for months and years? To be teased over the smallest things and in the end you never knew why you deserved this? How would your life change if this happened? For Shiva it almost seemed unreal until it happened to her. Not a single soul to rely on while her heart and mind slowly break into pieces. Running on pure mammal instinct all day to survive.

Another thing she made sure to hide were the notes she frequently received from school for her poor grades and attendance. There were moments where she had to stay home and recover from her beatings only to come back to school and get her wounds re-opened, yet the only thing that made her keep coming back was the fear of getting expelled from school. Since the teachers and principal didn't exactly have anyone else to rely on but her brother in active service, all they could do is allow her to continue with school but have her repeat the classes she kept on failing. Next year she should be graduating, but with the grades she has it would take her another two years to finish.

Closing her eyes and trying not to think about it, Shiva drifted off into sleep until she would realize that her eyes were set on her alarm clock which marked 6:45AM. If she didn't get up and get ready for school then she would be late. Not bothering to jump into the shower or fix herself up, she grabbed her school bag which was still on the floor and ran downstairs to try and get at least a snack before she left. To her surprise , her brother and his comrads were already sitting on the dinning table and talking amongst themselves.

"Shiva! Come to join us for a cup of tea?" asked Gary.

"Sorry brother, I'm late" said Shiva rushing in to pick up an orange from the fruit basket.

"Need a lift? I'll get you there quick" said Gary.

"No thank, I'll be fine!" said Shiva running out quicker than when she got there.

Running out of the door and closing it behind her, she ran down her usual path to school and hoped to get to her class in time. The bell echoed through the school to signal students that class was now starting and that's when she knew she was late. Once arriving to her first class, the first person to notice her was the teacher.

"Miss Shiva, you're late AGAIN. Please report to the principal" said her teacher.

Sigh. Nodding and doing as she was told, the walk to the principal's office was a short one. Upon seeing Shiva's face, the principal sighed for this was an occasional routine for him now.

"Miss Shiva, late again I presume?" he asked.

Shiva nodded.

"What's your excuse THIS time" he asked.

"I have none, sir" she said.

"You know I can't continue sending messages to your brother about this. It proves of no use and if this should continue , you will have to be transfered to another school on the other side of the city. I know this would be highly convenient for you, which is why I have kept you here thus far but there is only so much I can do" said the principal.

"I am sorry sir..." said Shiva.

"Sorry won't cut it, miss Shiva, it's either you improve your behaviour in this school or I will be forced to send you to the other school. Now in order to make this work for the both of us, I need you to comply" he said.

"I promise to do better" said Shiva.

"I hope so. Now return to your class and I hope this does not happen again" he said.

Nodding to this, Shiva made her way back to class and continued on with the school day until it was over and onto her daily routine. For some reason today felt a little different, for once the girls that usually waited for her at the gate weren't there. Was today going to be a good day after all? Not giving it a chance, she walked over to the gate and hoped for the best. Oddly enough there was a girl standing a few feet from the gate as if waiting for someone. Picking up her pace and walking past the girl, it proved useless when the girl had gently grabbed her shoulder. Turning around to face the girl, the first thing she heard was the girl say:

"It's okay, it's okay...I won't hurt you".

"Who are you..." said Shiva.

"Don't worry, I am a class mate of yours. I normally sit in the back and I doubt you've really seen me but we are in the same classes" said the girl.

"What do you mean you won't hurt me" said Shiva starting to panic.

"I know about the girls ignoring you and bullying you after school, but since they had detention today I would figure I would snatch you up and walk you home" said the girl smiling.

Shiva didn't know wether she was telling the truth since she hadn't seen her before, but then again she never paid attention to who was in her class to begin with. Having a stranger following her home didn't seem to good at the moment anyway,so she would have to politely decline. Next thing she knew she was already walking away from the girl who offered to escort her home. Regretting nothing, all she could think of was getting home as soon as she could and run up to her room before even seeing her brother's comrads. As soon as she reached her house, she rushed inside and without saying anything she closed the door behind her and ran up to her room as fast as she could. Tossing her school bag onto the bed, it wasn't long after before she heard a knock on her door.

"Shiva? Hey, I think you forgot one of your friends outside" said Gary.

Not wanting to make it seem like she didn't have friends, she was forced to open the door for him with the girl from earlier standing right next to him.

"It seems I have...sorry, I thought she was going home after school..." said Shiva.

"How could you misunderstand that?" wondered Gary.

"Well thank you um...who are you?" asked the girl.

"I'm Gary, her brother, a pleasure to meet you miss..." he waited for her to complete the sentence.

"Emily" said the girl.

"Ah, well I guess you two have homework to do so I'll leave you girls alone" said Gary closing the door on them.

"Sorry to intrude like this but I really wanted to get to know you better. I know you don't really trust people so I wanted to prove to you that I can help change that, promise" said Emily holding out her pinky to Shiva.

It has been a while since anyone had opened up to her and at this point she was getting desperate for any type of friendship, plus it would come in use for her to cover up some of her stories from her brother. Quick to react, Shiva wrapped her pinky around Emily's and shook on it.

"Shiva was it? From now on we will be good friends" said Emily.

Forcing a smile on her face, It was hard for her to be sincere at this point.

"_The one girl who gently held her hand to me, all I can say is "I'm sorry" as an apology for what is to come"._


	3. Chapter 3

The following day at school, nothing seemed to have changed since during class her new friend Emily avoided her no matter how many times she looked over her shoulder. At that point she was already thinking that perhaps this was a hoax and the whole friendship was based on a lie. Keeping to herself up until lunch time, it was then when Emily had pulled her aside and tried to explain things to her.

"Hey sorry for avoiding you until now, I just didn't want the other girls to see we were on speaking terms" said Emily.

"Why not?" asked Shiva.

"Because I am pretty sure they'll try to separate us just to leave you isolated again...and I don't want that to happen since you're my friend" said Emily smiling at her.

Emily looked sincere about this and all Shiva could do is agree to this and carry on. School still felt lonely and without the communication between her and Emily, it was hell for her. After school, Emily waited for her at the same spot as yesterday.

"Shiva, remember that I told you that Patricia had detention yesterday?" said Emily.

"Yes" said Shiva.

"Well, apparently she has detention until further noticed. She must have done something pretty bad in order to get that, lucky for you right?" said Emily.

Hearing this, her body didn't know how to respond to it. Should she be happy that after school she would no longer get pummeled or forced into a beat down? Or come to wonder if this was still a set up? So it's been two days that she's gone without a beating, it still doesn't make up for the years she had to put up with it to begin with.

"Let's go to your house shall we?" said Emily.

"Sure" said Shiva.

Both of them walked peacefully to Shiva's house in order to find her brother Gary talking and drinking with his other friends. Gary heard the front door open and greeted Shiva and her friend for coming home.

"Back from school already? Hey! You brought a friend over!" said Gary.

"We're going upstairs" said Shiva taking the lead up the stairs.

"What? Wait why not come over and tell me how school was today?" said Gary.

Ignoring him for the time being, Emily walked over to Shiva's room once again, but this time to be more observant of her room. It wasn't exactly what she remembered from yesterday. The room itself was a mess, clothes everywhere, her school bag was tossed in the direction she was walking, the bed looked like it was never done and just slept on everyday, the room needed a good cleaning. Yet what can one expect from someone who suffers from mental damages?

"Shiva, you need to clean up your room once in a while, keep it tidy for yourself" said Emily.

"I think it's fine as it is...I find things easier this way" said Shiva.

"Hmm...well if you feel comfortable like this-" Emily was cut off by Shiva's quick remark.

"I am" said Shiva.

"Your choice" said Emily.

Shiva was already starting to feel uncomfortable with Emily commenting on her living style as her room was the only place that would be considered messy. That and perhaps the kitchen and bathroom too. To Shiva it all seemed fine, especially since she was living by herself, but now with her brother here for a while it would probably be better if she cleaned up a bit. Even so, finding the will to actually pick up anything flew past her.

"So what do you normally do when you get home?" asked Emily.

"Eat and then go to sleep" said Shiva.

"That's it? You don't watch tv, or use the computer?" asked Emily.

"No, there's nothing I would like to watch or do" said Shiva.

"Well, why not try watching this show called "Beach House", it's really cool and all the girls at school watch it. There's a lot of cute guys in it and they're always trying to get girls but they're only going after good looking girls. Which is why I want to lose some weight and fix myself up some more, maybe I can someday get myself one of those types of guys!" said Emily with such a smile on her face.

"I don't have cable..." said Shiva.

"It's on the local channels! Trust me, you'll love it! Maybe you'll like one of the guys! I should give you a make over! I'm sure if you let your hair grow out longer you can curl it up and you'll look so cute! Where are your clothes?" said Emily looking around.

"Closet. But I like my hair short...I don't want to grow it out just so a guy can like me..." said Shiva stroking her hair.

Looking in the closet, Shiva had few pieces of clothing that consisted mostly of plain T-shirts or that had some sort of design on them. Nothing but old jeans and used up shoes was all she could spot at first glance. In a way her school uniform was the best pair of clothes she had in there, and that was not to say much either.

"Is this all you have? Girl, we need to go shopping for you" said Emily.

"I don't like going to malls...they're so crowded and the clothes are so expensive. I could just go to a thrift store and get the same stuff for super cheap" said Shiva.

"Why don't we go to the mall one of these days when they have a clearance special and let's get you something, ok?" asked Emily.

"Um ok?" said Shiva unsure about it.

"Do you have internet?" asked Emily.

"Yeah, I need it to do some of the homework I get. For research" said Shiva.

"Mind if I use your computer?" asked Emily.

"Sure go ahead" said Shiva.

Walking over to the desk that had the laptop sitting under some trash, Emily simply brushed it aside and proceeded to use the laptop to check her stuff online.

"You know, you should get yourself a Glitz account and start making friends online! I have one and I made friends all around the world. You should give it a try" said Emily.

"I don't know about that..." said Shiva.

"Here let me make one for you! That way you can choose the people you want to talk to and talk to me whenever you want! You can post up your pictures, tell people what you're doing and everything!" said Emily.

"Why would I want to tell people what I'm doing..." said Shiva.

"Oh come on give it a try! You'll like it! Here, I already set it up for you. Just upload some pics and I'll add you when I get home. Just play around with it for a bit and I'm sure you'll like it" said Emily.

"Alright, I'll try" said Shiva sitting down to stare at her computer screen.

Emily looked at the time on her cell phone and it was time for her to head home.

"Shiva, I gotta get going but mind if I come over tomorrow as well? It's gonna be Friday so maybe we can go out and do something" said Emily.

"Sure, I'll see if I could go out" said Shiva.

"Why, you need permission to go out?" asked Emily.

"No, sometimes I don't feel like going out" said Shiva.

"We'll go somewhere fun! You'll forget about even coming home!" said Emily.

"Alright..." said Shiva.

"Take care and I'll chat with ya over Glitz!" said Emily.

See ya" said Shiva.

Emily left the house and Shiva sighed. Closing the laptop screen to her computer, she went downstairs to get something to eat. To no surprise, the trio were still downstairs drinking and talking about some of the missions they did back at work. Minding her own business, Shiva simply went to the fridge to make herself a cheese and ham sand which. Taking a bite of it before walking out of the kitchen, all she could see where her brother and the other guy John laughing at a joke they had recently made, but she couldn't see where Simon was. Taking another bite while she walked out, Simon was walking toward the kitchen and bumped into Shiva by accident. His larger frame obviously knocked her back as her head hit the edge of one of the counters. Wincing in pain, Simon was quick to react by rushing over to inspect her head. Her brother and John heard the loud thud and came to the kitchen to see what had happened.

"I'm sorry about that, are you alright?" asked Simon.

Feeling a little intimidated by having three full men surrounding her got her a little freaked out as she quickly stood up while holding her head.

"I'm fine, it was my fault...I wasn't watching where I was going" said Shiva rushing out of the kitchen.

"Sis, are you-" Gary wasn't able to finish his sentence once she was out of sight.

Simon noticed that she had dropped her sand which in the process and picked it up to throw it away.

"What happened?" asked Gary.

"We ran into each other by accident but she hit herself on her head and I just wanted to make sure she was alright" said Simon.

"You should go check on her, Roach" said John.

"Yeah, she could have a cut and it would need treatment" said Gary.

Gary ran up the stairs and knocked on Shiva's room. Opening it was out of the option since it was always locked and all he could do is wait for an answer.

"Sis, you alright? Do you have an open wound?" asked Gary.

"I'm fine, I really am. It's just a bump" said Shiva.

"Are you sure? Let me have a look at it" said Gary.

"I said I'm FINE" said Shiva with a stern voice.

At that point he couldn't do anything any more except sigh and leave her be. He was starting to feel a little left out, and maybe a little ignored. Then again what could he expect when for years he's only been here once a week every year. Like his Captain said, he would need to spend more time with her and get their family bond strengthened again. In the room, Shiva continued to hold her head while looking in front of a mirror that was attached to her wardrobe and take a peek at her wound. It was a small cut but some blood was trickling down and she knew she would have to get it patched up before it would get infected. Until night time, she would have to add pressure on it with a rag.


	4. Chapter 4

Gary came back downstairs to sit back down with the guys and rub the back of his head as if in thought.

"I wonder if she hates me" said Gary.

"Relax, mate, you haven't been home in a while, she probably does miss you but she doesn't know how to express it" said John.

"Tough love?" said Gary.

"I suppose. Give her some time, it's only been two days. You'll be here for a while so you've got plenty of time to catch up" said John.

"You're right, this beer is making me have mood swings" said Gary popping open a new bottle of beer.

"Ya better wash down those mood swings then" said John laughing.

"Roger, Captain" said Gary.

With the three of them drinking through the evening, night rolled around and Shiva was finally able to access the bathroom without interruptions. Quickly running into it and locking the door behind her, she was quick to grab the alcohol and a dry rag to lightly pat the now healing wound. Biting her lower lip to take her mind off of it, she would have to let it heal on its own within the next few days. Making sure to bury the rags deep in the hamper full of dirty clothes, she quietly slipped out of the bathroom and went to check on her brother downstairs. The three of them seemed to have knocked out and were spread across the living room. Sneaking into the kitchen to prepare a snack once again, in the corner of her eye she could see a plate with an already made cheese and ham sand which. Making her way over to it, she went ahead and ate it. Trying to keep quiet once she finished it, she left the plate where it was and tried to sneak out of the kitchen without waking any of them up. Passing through over to the living room, Simon had appeared out of no where to stand in front of her. Startled by his sudden appearance, she tried to step back and avoid him but ended up missing her step as she began to fall backwards. Quick to react, Simon caught her hand and pulled her up to him.

"You alright there?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine" said Shiva.

Peering at her head, he could see the wound that had already been cleaned out and attended.

"You should've told me you got hurt" said Simon.

"It's nothing I couldn't deal with" said Shiva.

"I wanted to apologize for the incident. I hope you're not upset with me" said Simon.

"No, I'm not..." said Shiva slowly pushing her way out of his grasp.

"I hope the sand which was enough of an apology though" said Simon.

"Thank you...sorry to have bothered you about it" said Shiva.

"A bother? You think you're bothering me? I think I'm bothering you" said Simon trying to hold back a laugh.

Shiva looked away to avoid responding to him. Walking back over to the couch to lay down, he figured she was still a little shy around them.

"Thanks for the snack...and tell my brother I'm fine when he wakes up" said Shiva.

"Will do, miss" said Simon.

Shiva made her way back upstairs and went straight to her laptop. Checking her Glitz profile she saw several unread messages and they were all from Emily.

"_I added you as a friend! Accept so we could start posting stuff to each other!"._

"_OMG! Beach House is on! GO WATCH IT NOW!"._

"_Jeffrey is the hottest guy there! I wish I had a guy like him"._

Leaving them be, all she did was accept the friend request from Emily and then go to bed to sleep. Thinking about going out with Emily tomorrow made her a little nervous, she would have to decide if she was really going to go with her. Slowly drifting off to sleep, she would wake up early in the morning in time to take a shower, eat and get ready for school.

Upon waking up, the first thing she did was take a shower, get ready and go downstairs to get something to eat. Gary and John were moaning and groaning from the hang over they had after drinking so much last night. Simon seemed to be the only one who was sober and in the kitchen trying to find something to eat. Entering the kitchen, Shiva pulled out some break along with cheese and ham to make herself another sand which.

"Sorry there isn't much to eat...I mostly eat at school so I don't really buy many groceries" said Shiva.

"All you eat is ham and cheese sand whiches?" said Simon.

"Some what...there's some microwavable stuff in the freezer but I don't know how long it's been in there" said Shiva.

"I'll take up that challenge" said Simon.

"Good luck" said Shiva taking her sand which with her as she was getting ready to leave the house.

"Shiva~ Hey...let me drive you to school..." said Gary.

"Not in the condition you're in, brother..." said Shiva leaving the house.

Today felt like it was going to be a good day, at least after school it would be. The usual routine commenced up until after school which was when she met up with Emily outside of the gates and walked home with her. Along the way they discussed where they would go and what they would do.

"So, tomorrow there will be a sale in the Glarie Mall so I was thinking we should go and get you some clothes" said Emily.

"What will I get though?" said Shiva.

"We'll pick something that suits your style" said Emily.

"My style?" asked Shiva.

"Yeah! Something that described you, something that shows your persona" said Emily.

"Alright..." said Shiva.

Entering Shiva's house, they went straight for her room to chat.

"So did you get my messages on Glitz?" asked Emily.

"Yeah, but didn't know what to say" said Shiva.

"You know you should really watch Beach House tonight! I'll message you when it's on!" said Emily.

"Sure" said Shiva.

"So, the three guys from yesterday were your brother and his friends?" asked Emily.

"Yeah, they're in the military so I guess they work with each other. I don't really know much about his work or friends" said Shiva.

"That must be cool to have a brother in the military. Not to mention, his friends are kinda cute! I'd like me a strong handsome guy as a boyfriend" said Emily.

"They're much older than us though..." said Shiva.

"Age doesn't matter when it comes to love, you must understand this!' said Emily.

"Right..."said Shiva.

"Hey next time you should come over to my house and I'll doll you up" said Emily.

"Sure. Tomorrow should be fine, maybe in the morning?" said Shiva.

"Yeah! Plus we need to go shopping anyway. I should get home and prepare for tomorrow" said Emily.

"Alright, see ya tomorrow then" said Shiva.

Emily left the house and Shiva went downstairs to check on the trio. They weren't there and she felt free to do what she wanted. There were still beer bottles on the floor from the previous night and she began to pick them up and toss them away. Wondering where exactly they were, she went ahead and turned on the tv to see what was on.

Flicking through all the channels, there was one that caught her attention, and it so happened to be "Beach House". The cameras were rolling and there were several attractive men on the television browsing around town and eye balling all the girls in skimpy outfits and occasionally flirting with them. It was supposed to be live television and in the background some of the fan girls could be seen screaming for their attention but would get ignored as they continued to roll the tape. Not exactly finding any interest in it, the trio came home just in time.

"Sis, I didn't know you were into those types of shows" said Gary.

"I'm not...Emily told me all the girls at school watched this" said Shiva.

"Your big brother should audition, he's got all the girls running for their clothes" said Gary flexing.

"I just think they're plain jerks. They're only interested in girls with big breasts that wear skimpy clothing" said Shiva.

"Your brother is only trying to feel young, girls your age won't be interested in such an old man" said John laughing.

"Oi mate, that hurts" said Gary.

Standing up from where she was sitting, Shiva went straight for her room to check her Glitz and obviously more messages from Emily. Setting up the time when they were going to go shopping and where they were going to meet up. Planning this over messages, it was time for Shiva to go to sleep so she could wake up early in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Saturday was finally here and Shiva woke up around 8AM to get herself ready to go out shopping with Emily. Showering first, dressing up in as much clothes as she could and finally going downstairs to get a snack. The trio was downstairs as usual and planning what they were going to do today. Trying to sneak past them, her brother was the first to spot her and call her over.

"Sis, how about you join us on a little adventure today" said Gary.

"Sorry brother, I'm going out shopping with Emily today" said Shiva.

"When did you plan this?" asked Gary.

"Couple days ago" said Shiva.

"Alright then...I guess maybe tomorrow?"said Gary.

"Maybe" said Shiva rushing in and out of the kitchen.

Gary was feeling disappointed by now, constantly being pushed aside and ignored. The only hope he had was for tomorrow. He kept trying to brush it aside as if it was his fault for not being here more often, but there was nothing he could do about it. His companions kept cheering him on and giving him as much comfort as they could, but at this point his hopes were already pretty low.

Shiva had a small piece of paper that had Emily's address as she followed the directions given to her online. It was almost the same path she took when going to school, except on the left side of her. The walk was fairly short until she came into a small street with apartments squished together. The one she was looking for was dark brown and was 5 stories tall. Living on a house of her own, she never knew how small apartments were until she finally found it. There was a com device where she had to call her up and tell her to open the gate downstairs. Finding her last name, she rang as she was buzzed in. Entering the complex, the door she was looking for was 218. The whole first floor was in the hundreds, so the second floor should be the one. Emily's door was in the middle of the hallway and she knocked. Emily swung the door open to greet Shiva with open arms.

"Shiva! Come in! I'm almost done so just come inside in the mean time! Mom, my friend is here!" said Emily pulling her in.

"Ok sweetie" said the mom.

Emily dragged Shiva into her room which was filled with mostly pink decorations. Having her sit on the bed, Emily ran over to her closet to pick a sweater.

"Which one should I take, this light blue one or the purple one?" asked Emily.

"I don't know...which ever feels more comfortable" said Shiva.

"No, it should be the cutest one! They're both cute and I can't decide!" said Emily.

Unable to pick something, Emily had a better idea.

"Why don't you wear the light blue one! I'm sure it would fit you!" said Emily going over to Shiva and trying to take off her heavy jacket.

Struggling to take off Shiva's sweater, she was finally able to and stared at the long sleeved shirt she had under.

"Why do you cover yourself up so much?" asked Emily.

"I'm sure you should know why..." said Shiva.

"No, it's why I ask" said Emily.

"I have cuts, scars and bruises from when I get picked on...so I cover them up like this" said Shiva.

"It's been a while hasn't it? Why don't you try using less? You seem to be the same size as me, so why don't you try on some of my clothes?" asked Emily.

"I don't know..."said Shiva.

"Here, try this!" said Emily rummaging around her closet for something decent.

Looking around, all Emily could really find was a black plaid skirt and a brown v-neck shirt for her. Insisting that Shiva wore it, she shoved her over to the bathroom so she could change. Not sure if to just stay in her clothes, she didn't want to disappoint Emily, so she went ahead and changed into it. Taking a couple of minutes to change, Shiva finally came out wearing the clothes Emily gave her. Emily smiled at her and complimented her new look.

"You should wear clothes like this more often, it looks nice on you" said Emily.

"I'll try..." said Shiva.

"That's what you said about Glitz and you still haven't made a single friend! Try harder!" said Emily.

"Ok..."said Shiva.

"Alrighty, I'll wear the purple one and let's get you some new stuff!" said Emily.

"Sure" said Shiva.

Both of them left the apartment and made their way to the mall which was about a 10 min bus ride from where they were. Upon arriving, it was packed with so many people. It had been years that she had been here and even then all she remembers were the kiddy rides she rode when she was a child. Couples everywhere and families coming out to eat and shop. Emily locked arms with Shiva as they walked into the mall together.

"We need to see ALL the shops! Depending on what your style is" said Emily.

"Anywhere is fine" said Shiva.

"Let's start there!" said Emily.

Minutes were only spend each time they visited a store, since Shiva didn't exactly find anything of her interest. Emily was the one who browsed around for herself and then continued on. The day was going by really slow for them since it took them time to actually find a store where Shiva felt comfortable. Even then all Shiva picked were more jeans and shirts to wear. Emily didn't mind, from what Shiva had told her about being bullied, it was only natural for her to still feel like this. She didn't want to force her into something she didn't like, but it was going to take time for her to adjust. With Shiva wearing what Emily gave her made her happy as is. They were starting to get hungry and they both headed over to the Food Court to get themselves some food. Shiva need to use the restroom and told Emily to go ahead and order while she came back.

"I'll be back soon, so go ahead and order what you want" said Shiva.

"Alright, don't get stuck" said Emily chuckling.

Nodding to this, Shiva went ahead and went to the restroom. Sigh. There was nothing she really wanted and she was scared that she wasn't pleasing Emily. Suddenly a loud chatter came into the restroom as they were familiar voices. It was them.

"Oh my gosh, did you just see Emily hanging out with Shiva?" said the leader.

"Yes I did, why would she even hang out with her...what a loser" said one of them.

"We should teach her a lesson, shouldn't we?" said the other.

"Yes we should...at school" said the leader.

It went silent as they did their own business and Shiva was left to cower in her stall. Scared of what would happen if she went out, she would remain there for at least an hour. She didn't want any sort of chance of running into them while at the mall, so she decided to simply stay put. At this time Emily had entered the restroom to look for her.

"Shiva? Hey are you in here?" asked Emily.

Still scared that Emily was with them, she stayed put and didn't say anything. Emily figured she was probably in another restroom and left. Left to sob lightly in the restroom, hours passed as she was in there. It wasn't until the telecom announced that the mall would be closing shortly. Gathering up what courage she had to leave the restroom, she was still cautious about running into them. Several people were leaving the mall as she walked in crowds until she reached the bus stop that would take her home. Arriving near her house several minutes later, all she could do was run inside her house. Gary was the first to greet her with his smile, but right now she didn't feel like dealing with him at all.

"Sis, why don't we go to the mall tomorrow and have some fun? I know you went today but-" he was cut off by Shiva's quick answer.

"I don't want to go to the mall anymore..." said Shiva running straight to her room.

Hearing the door slam for Shiva's room, Gary sighed and went over to the couch and plop down.

"It's official, she hates me" said Gary.

"Don't say that, Gary" said John.

"I've tried everything! She either brushes me off or makes some sort of excuse not to hang out. It's not like I can grab her and force her to go somewhere with me" said Gary.

"Try to see things from her point of view" said John.

"She's in high school, all she wants to do is hang out with friends and have fun. Family doesn't matter at this age" said Simon.

"Maybe you're right...still I don't feel right. She's the only family I have left" said Gary.

"Hey at least she's still here. Make it count" said John.

"I will. Now, let's bring out the drinks shall we?" said Gary with a grin.

"That's the spirit, mate" said John.

Upstairs Shiva tried to set her mind at ease and have some sort of courage to tell Emily about what was about to happen to her. The feeling of being left alone this whole time and have some sort of freedom was nice, but at the cost of Emily's safety was starting to eat at her. Of course she was used to it, but the feeling of remorse was still there. It had been a while since she had someone to talk to, but Emily was special to her. So far Emily was the only one who actually gave her a positive influence in every field. Giving her clothes to wear, convincing her to wear them, and taking her to the mall to go shopping. No one has ever done this for her before, yet why was she still scared to even tell Emily? This was really stressing her out and it was driving her into thinking suicidal thoughts. Hoping on the computer to check her Glitz account, messages from Emily were the only things she could see. Not even bothering to check them, she knew what they were about. Closing the lid on her laptop, all Shiva wanted to do is sleep it off. Leaving everything as is, she went ahead and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Shiva didn't even want to wake up. Laying on the bed with her back facing the door, she didn't even want to leave, ever. Hearing a knock on the door, it was her brother coming to check up on her.

"Sis, you want to go out with us and have some fun?" asked Gary.

"I'm feeling a little sick...I can't go out" said Shiva.

"Did you take some medicine?" asked Gary.

"Yes, it's why I am resting..." said Shiva.

"Oh...well...if you need anything, make sure to give me a call" said Gary.

"Sure..." said Shiva.

"I really care about you sis...know that" said Gary before leaving the house.

This was really starting to tear Shiva apart. Not only was she blocking her only family member from knowing anything about her, but her one and only friend was also in danger because of her. Why couldn't she tell anyone about this? Why did she have to be the only one to go through this. None of this was fair, she wanted it all to go away. Leaving her room to go downstairs, something caught her eye. Under the table was the small reflection of a pistol, it must have belonged to one of the trio. Without thinking about it, she ran over to take the gun and sit on the couch with it. It sure had some weight to it. The safety switch was on as she disabled it to have it point straight at her. Her hands began to shake wildly, as if telling her to stop. There was no reason to stop as the tip of the pistol was placed in her mouth. Tears rolled down her eyes as she began to think about her brother and Emily, how she would miss them dearly.

"_I can't die in peace even if I do this..."._

Closing her eyes as she slowly pressed the trigger, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs but didn't bother to look as she tried to quickly press the trigger. Simon had stayed behind since the other two were going to check out an adult shop that he didn't exactly feel comfortable going to at the moment. He was upstairs in the bathroom when he heard footsteps at the stairs. Coming down to check if it was Shiva who he heard, apparently he was right and she had a pistol in her mouth while pulling the trigger. Attempting to make a run for her , he reached his hand out to her.

"Shiva, no!" he yelled.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Shiva pulled the trigger to the pistol and heard a click. Nothing happened. Simon was quick to pull the pistol from her mouth and placed it behind him on a table before attending to Shiva. Frozen from the shock she just gave herself, all she could do is cry at the thought that she almost killed herself.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking? Why was there a gun in your mouth!" yelled Simon.

"It's none of your business! Just leave me alone!" said Shiva trying to run up to her room.

Simon clearly stopped her by holding her arm and pulling her to face him.

"You've got some explaining to do, miss. I'm calling your brother right now" said Simon attempting to reach for his phone.

"No, please don't! I don't want him to know! I'll tell you but please don't tell my brother..." said Shiva crying.

"Sit and explain" said Simon.

Sitting on the the couch across from Simon, she wrapped herself up with her arms and sobbed.

"Don't tell anyone about this...please..." said Shiva.

"I won't, so tell me...why were you trying to kill yourself. You're lucky the pistol gets jammed easily" said Simon.

"The girls today...said they were going to get Emily tomorrow at school...just like me..." said Shiva.

"What girls? What do you mean they were gonna get her?" asked Simon.

"After school...they will pull her to an empty alley way and beat her up for hanging out with me" said Shiva.

"Wait, you were bullied at school?" said Simon.

"Yes...ever since I started high school...they would always get me after school and I never told anyone, until now" said Shiva.

"Why haven't you told anyone? This is serious. They could go to jail for this, especially if it has been going on this long" said Simon.

"I was afraid that they would keep doing it..." said Shiva.

"And they have, it could have stopped if you told your brother or the principal" said Simon.

"My brother is never really here...the principal says he's tired of sending him letters when he is busy. My brother won't want to come here just because I am getting bullied...you guys have much more important things to worry about" said Shiva.

"He is your brother, you are the only family he has. The reason he is doing this is to keep you safe from all the dangers out there. You should tell your brother when he gets home" said Simon.

"No! They said they'd kill me if I told anyone! Please don't tell him...or anyone..." said Shiva.

"Who would, the girls?" asked Simon.

"Yes...they always tell me..." said Shiva.

"Is this why you have also been ignoring your brother?" asked Simon.

Shiva nodded.

"You don't trust anyone, do you" said Simon.

"I can't...I just can't..." said Shiva.

Simon walked over to Shiva and embraced her.

"It must've been hard, everyone reaching out to you and you are unable to do anything...but it's alright. We're here for you...your brother wants to help very much" said Simon.

Shiva returned the embrace and cried on his shoulders. This feeling, it was something to soothe her aching heart. Why did it take so long for it to come? This feels nice, she didn't want it to end.

"Simon...please help me...I really care about Emily..." said Shiva.

Simon looked at Shiva who was pleading for help, but what could he do. Picking fights with teenagers, there was no proof of her injuries and Shiva wouldn't confess to it for the fear of it never stopping. There was nothing for him to do.

"I'll do my best...but I really do think you should tell your brother...only he can help you" said Simon.

"I'll try..." said Shiva.

There was a moment of silence before Simon stood up and made sure to store the pistol in a safe place. In the mean time they both minded their own business but Shiva was thinking of how to tell her brother about this. It wasn't exactly something she would just say out of the blue, especially if Simon had to force it out of her. Resting in her room, she waited for her brother and buddy to return. The wait wasn't long until she heard them coming in from the door, but she didn't want to come out. Simon came up to her room and knocked on the door.

"You know he's here..." said Simon.

"I can't do it..." said Shiva.

"Try..." said Simon.

Making his way back down to form their little trio group, the evening and night was spent drinking. It was impossible to tell them now, this was her excuse for today. On her Glitz account, Emily tried to get in touch with her but had an emergency family situation and was unable to come over and visit.

"_I wanted to come over and talk to you about what happened at the mall, but I won't be home until later tonight. My aunt is in the hospital and I am not sure if she'll make it...if you need to get a hold of me, tell me at school tomorrow"._

She couldn't tell her at school, they didn't see each other until class time and after school. By that time it would be too late, and she couldn't tell anyone. Simon was the only one who knew but he said he wouldn't tell. Now Shiva was in a stand off between telling or not. Right around midnight she heard a knock on her door, it was her brother.

"Shiva, please spend time with your brother. I've been trying to have you spend some quality time with me but it seems like you don't want to. If you're mad at me I understand, but give me a chance would ya" said Gary.

Walking over to the door, Shiva opened the door to see her brother standing there with a worried face expression.

"So how about some quality time with your brother, huh sis?" he said with a forced smile.

She wanted to tell him, she really did. Yet for some reason the words she wanted to tell him didn't come out as planned.

"...you're too late brother...all these years I hoped for you to be here longer. I wanted you here but you never were. Where were you all these years! Didn't you know I was here all alone! Instead of coming alone to spend time with me, you bring your friends over and drink practically every night! All you've done is cause me nothing but trouble, you and your friends!" she yelled.

"_No...no...please stop...please stop! Brother I need you!"._

Gary was at his limit. He didn't want to ever hear any of this. This tore his heart into pieces and he almost let out a tear, but held himself back. Never would he have expected to hear this, but he did feel it was his fault that he was never here for her.

"I...have no brother..." said Shiva.

His eyes widened upon hearing this. He couldn't take another single word.

"If...that's how you feel...I respect it..." said Gary.

Slamming the door on him, she couldn't believe everything she just said. Falling on her knees, tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to hold back from crying.

"I...I didn't mean to..."said Shiva.

"_I have...contaminated my own brother..."._

"_What have I become..."._


	7. Chapter 7

Sleep came to claim her that night as she was collapsed on the floor and woke up to the loud buzzing sound of her alarm clock waking her for school. Eyes opened to gaze at the ever slowly changing number on her alarm clock, there was no way she was going to school today.

"Emily..." she muttered under her breath.

Images of what would happen to her flashed back and forth in her head, filling her conscious with guilt and regret. Tossing and turning in her bed, the unsettling thoughts weren't going away at all and they were leaving her restless. Emily was her one and only friend up until now, there was no way she was going to let things happen to her, but being as helpless as she was, there really was nothing she could do. Unless. Getting up from her bed and dressing up in her usual heavy set of attire, she was careful in going downstairs and inspecting the surroundings. The trio was asleep and to her eye, the gun she wielded to try and end herself was in the same spot as before. Slowly making her way over to the table, it was a easy to grab the gun and dash off with it in her messenger bag and rush her way to school.

Her feet felt heavy along the way as if there were weights strapped onto her, sweat covered her hands regardless of the semi-cold climate they were having. Shiva didn't know what she was going to do once she arrived to the scene, but having a gun with her already gave her the advantage.

"Please don't let me pull the trigger..."whispered Shiva.

Back at home, Simon was the first to wake up and to his surprise the gun on the table was missing. Sleep was scared right off of him as he dashed straight upstairs and up to Shiva's room which she wasn't there anymore. The gun was gone, Shiva was missing and he had a pretty sure idea where she was. Running down the stairs to shake Gary awake, it didn't take long to wake up him.

"Gary, wake up! This is serious. Your sister took your gun and went to school with it" said Simon.

Rubbing his eyes while still waking up, he looked up at Simon with a confused expression.

"What? Why?" asked Gary.

"She didn't want me to tell you, but she has been bullied ever since she started high school and her friend is in trouble...you can add the pieces" said Simon.

Price woke up from the commotion that they were making and over heard some of their conversation.

"You guys gonna get her or what?" asked Price.

"We should get going" said Gary getting up from the couch and rushing outside with Price and Simon.

Jumping into their vehicle, they rushed off from the house to make their way over to Shiva's school.

From a distance she could already see the nosy group of student huddling over an alleyway and cheering on what she suspects is the beating of Emily. Reaching into her messenger bag to take firm grip of the pistol, Shiva slowly squirms her way through the crowd only to witness Emily on the floor and sobbing from the beating that just ended. One of the girls was quick to spot Shiva in the front of the crowd and pointed her out.

"Well look at what we have here, you're a little late in helping your friend, Shiva" laughed one of the girls.

"You should've been here just a while ago, she cried out for you and you were no where to be found. You knew it was gonna happen and you didn't even tell her! What kind of friend are you" smirked another.

That was when Shiva pulled out the pistol from her messenger bag and shakily pointed it at the three girls that froze up at the sight of it. The surrounding group that watched the whole thing suddenly disappeared from fear and left a trail of screams.

"S-so w-what! N-now y-you're g-g-gonna k-kill us f-f-for this!" yelled the main girl in fear.

In the background, Gary had arrived in time to see the crowd flee and Shiva stand at the entrance of the alleyway with the pistol pointed at a group of girls and one laying on the floor.

"S-Shiva...don't...it's...not worth it..." cringed Emily while struggling to move from the floor.

"I'm tired of this!" yelled Shiva.

Silence was bestowed.

"All these years...almost everyday after school...the beatings...the bruises I put up with. WHY! I had no one to tell, I had nothing to comfort me...I was scared! Everyday...living in fear, WHY! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME! What have I ever done to you! ANSWER ME!" yelled Shiva while failing to hold back her tears.

"ANSWER ME!".

"My brother died because of your brother. My brother was in the army and he died some years ago. Your brother worked with him but...one mission your brother didn't accompany mine and got killed...so it's your fault I lost my brother! Both of them were doing fine together until your brother didn't go with mine...it's why he got killed...and it's why you should pay for it!" said the leader.

"That shouldn't be a reason to bully someone and scar them for life over your loss" said Gary who walked next to Shiva.

Shiva looked up to Gary and lowered her pistol.

"Your brother had a seperate mission than I did, there was nothing I could do. We weren't always going to do missions together, we were of different branches. I'm sorry for your loss and it was my loss as well, but even so it gives you no right to bully my sister over this. Because of this there is a huge gap between us and even though I try to fill it in, there would've been no way to reach her. Instead of being selfish and thinking only of your loss, you should have been thinking of the damage you were doing to others. Do you feel good now? Did this bring your brother back? Would be be proud of this?" said Gary.

Tears rolled down her cheek. Reality kicked in and she finally realized that she was wrong this whole time.

"I'm sorry..." she said.

The other girls tried to comfort her as Gary was able to recover Emily and make sure she was fine.

"You alright there, young lady?" asked Gary.

"I-I'm fine...probably some minor bruises but nothing to worry about..." said Emily.

Simon and Price got out of the vehicle and stood at the scene. Simon walked over to Shiva and removed the pistol from her grasp.

"I'm sorry, but I had to say something" said Simon.

"It's alright I guess..." said Shiva.

Gary helped Emily to her feet and as support for her to walk. Shiva couldn't look at Emily in the eyes, not after this. In the end, she too was wrong for not telling anyone about this, and it could've all been prevented if only she told someone.

"Shiva...I'm not upset at you...things went better than expected. I'm alright and I still have you as a friend, right?" said Emily.

"But it was my fault...I didn't tell you and because of it this happened to you..." said Shiva.

"I'm alright and besides, at least it's all over with" said Emily.

"...I suppose..." said Shiva.

"You're still my best friend ,Shiva" said Emily as she limped her way over to Shiva and hugged her tightly.

Shiva was finally able to hug her back and let out a small stream of tears.

"Shiva...I'm sorry I haven't been there for you. I guess I owe you an apology" said Gary.

"No brother...it's my fault for not telling you anything. You're the only family I have left...I should be relying on you all the time" said Shiva finally letting go of Emily to hug her brother as tight as she could. Gary returned the hug.

Emily was taken home as Gary explained the situation to her parents. Emily's parents put her to rest for the rest of the day. Shiva came home with the trio as they all sat down to talk.

"Shiva...I know even after all of this has happenened, I'm sorry to say that we're gonna have to go back to our stations soon" said Gary.

"When?" asked Shiva.

"In 2 days to be exact" said Gary.

"2 days? It's already been that long?" said Shiva.

"I really don't want you to be all alone here. I mean I know you have Emily, but...you know I'll be gone for another year..." said Gary.

"Let me come with you..."said Shiva.


	8. Chapter 8

The trio looked upon each other and were puzzled about Shiva's decision to join their unit.

"Shiva, you know we're elites in the Task Force. If you were ever to join us...it would take years of experience..." said Gary.

"Took us at least twenty years of experience to get where we are, not to mention that majority of it wasn't pleasant at all"said Simon.

"Sis, the world we live in isn't for you. It's full of danger at nearly every corner. You can only imagine the worst out there. Why don't you take up something less risky, why not psychology? You can help others who had the same situation as you did" said Gary.

"Besides young lady, you need to be at least 18 to join" said Price.

"I turn 18 next year! You'll be gone by then!" said Shiva.

"You're not even finished with school yet, missy" said Gary.

"But...I finish next year!" said Shiva.

"Why not go to college next year, as soon as you're done with high school" said Gary.

"I DON'T WANT TO! WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND! I don't want to help others so they could remind me of what happened to me! I want to forget...I want to be strong, like you guys! I want to help those who really are in need, but most of all I want to help myself! This whole time, I've been a coward and hiding in my room, you think I want to be stuck in a room all day listening to other people's problems? It won't make me feel better about myself" explained Shiva nearly in tears.

Through time her brain couldn't sustain her thoughts and wishes. The threat was gone and there was no reason to hold back anymore. All she ached for was change in her life. New friends, new field, new everything. The thought for this was strong, but it lacked will.

Gary scratched the back of his head and sighed.

"Sis, how about this...you get good grades, graduate high school by next year and I'll come pick you up and send you as a recruit myself"said Gary.

"Gary, you don't mean it do you, mate?" asked Price.

"She's determined" said Gary.

"I'll give ya that" said Price.

"Next year then? Exactly when you come over?" asked Shiva.

"Exactly when I come over, sis" said Gary ruffling her hair.

"Thanks brother!" said Shiva giving her brother a tight hug.

"Alright go get your homework done and start getting those good grades!" said Gary.

Smiling up at him, Shiva dashed off to her room to tell Emily the good news, or so it would seem. Emily was resting, so sending her a message for her to read would be the best option for now. Downstairs, the subject never left as Gary began to fret.

"What am I going to do! I can't have my little sis join the army!" said Gary.

"Then why didn't you just tell her no?" asked Simon.

"The look in her eye...she really does want to, but..." sighed Gary.

"Don't worry mate, I'll request that she be taken care of" said Price.

"Oh thank you, Cap'n!"bowed Gary.

"Isn't that a bit against the rules?" said Simon.

"It's no big deal, just make sure she's going down the right path is all" said Price.

"...cheaters..." said Simon.


	9. Chapter 9

( Sorry for the last short chapter, I hope to make it up with this one! )

The following days, Emily recovered from her small cuts and bruises and was able to attend school once again. Without the issue of being bullied at school anymore, Shiva was finally able to concentrate more on her tasks and the teachers began to see improvement in her academics. The trio had departed back to their stations and Shiva was once again alone at home. Emily visited frequently to watch Beach House with Shiva and engage in casual activities, all until Shiva brought up the subject of her joining the army.

"I'm gonna miss these moments when I depart for the army" said Shiva.

This was the first time Emily heard of this and was stunned.

"A-Army? Wait, when did you decide to join the Army!" yelled Emily.

"I sent you a message about it over Glitz, didn't you read it?" said Shiva.

"NO! I've been hanging out with you most of the time. When I get home I do my homework and go straight to sleep. I haven't had time to check my messages. WHY are you joining the Army?" yelled Emily. 

"Emily don't be mad...I just wanted to better myself, so I asked my brother to enroll me in the army next year. He said if I get good grades and graduate by next year, he'll come pick me up and take me. Don't worry, I promise to write everyday and call when I can!" said Shiva.

"But...it won't be the same. What about college? What about our friendship...you're gonna be away for a long time..." said Emily.

"Like I sad, I will write and I can visit too! I mean once a year but...still! I'll write" said Shiva.

"I don't like this. We're best friends and we're always supposed to be together..."said Emily.

"If we're best friends, you should support me with this...believe that we'll be still be best friends even if we're apart. Pysically we will be apart, but we'll always be in each other's hearts, I promise" said Shiva.

Emily began to cry.

"Shiva, don't leave...please?" cried Emily.

"Emily, I want to go. I promise I'll be back...pinky promise" said Shiva holding out her pinky.

Attempting to dry her tears, Emily locked her pinky with Shiva's. This of course touched Shiva and caused her to sob a little, knowing that she will miss Emily dearly.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and finally, the year had passed in a flash. Emily was at Shiva's house waiting for the arrival of her brother, yet in the meantime they sat down in the living room to watch Beach House. Through the year, Shiva didn't mature much body wise or mentally for the simple fact that she only reached a height of 5'5" and weighed 145lbs. Eyes fixed on the television, they almost missed the honking coming from outside of the house. Turning off the tv to step outside, the trio were waiting outside in their desert camoflauged Scorpion Jeep. Gary stepped out of the vehicle to hug his sister and shake Emily's hand.

"Oh, don't forget your luggage" said Emily running inside to fetch it.

Emily helped carry the luggage over to the jeep as she stared at it in awe before saying farewell to Shiva.

"Good luck, Shiva. Please come back in one piece, I'll be waiting"said Emily hugging her tightly.

"I will, I promise" said Shiva returning the hug.

Loading herself onto the vehicle, she sat in the back with Simon as she waved farewell to Emily before the vehicle took off. Emily stood in the same area waving until she could no longer see them and let out a small tear in hopes of seeing her friend again soon. Looking back one last time to see the image of her best friend fade, Shiva let out a small sigh.

"It's alright, you'll see her again" said Simon.

"I hope so...I'm gonna miss her. She's the only friend I have" said Shiva.

"Skittles!" said Gary.

"Already thinking of a call name, aren't ya" said Price.

"How about...Nibbles...no wait, scratch that..."said Gary.

"Call sign? What's a call sign?" asked Shiva.

"It's your nickname. Given to you by your 'buddies' in your squad. Chances are you won't like it" said Simon.

"Ah true...can't give her one, it's gotta be her squad" said Gary.

"Wait...what names am I going to get?" asked Shiva.

"Something you won't like. It can be because of something ridiculous you do, or something that has to do with your last name" said Simon.

"...I'm afriad to ask...but what are your call signs" said Shiva.

"Ghost" said SImobn.

"I currently don't have one" said Price.

"Your brother's is Roach" said Simon.

"Why did you tell her! You could've give me a cooler name..." said Gary.

"Do I want to know how you all got your title?" asked Shiva.

"NO!" they all said in unison.

"Alright, alright...I was just asking..." said Shiva.

Their little chit-chat was cut shortly afterwards and the ride felt like forever. Its been several hours since they left town and were now wandering through miles and miles of desert, with nothing around except the hot blazing sun. Her eyes were closing on her as she rested her head on the firm head rest while Gary continued to drive to to their station. The ride was long, but after an entire day of driving, they finally arrived to their destination.

"Simon, wake her up will ya?" said Gary.

"Shiva, hey time to wake up, we're here" said Simon nudging Shiva until she woke up.

"We're here?" asked Shiva rubbing her groggy eyes.

"Yeah, welcome to your temporary new home" said Gary.

Parking his vehicle with the others, Shiva grabbed her belongings and followed her brother into the camp. The camp itself was massive, with men and women alike performing various activities. From a distance, yelling could be heard as a drill instructor whips his squad members into shape. Specific areas had certain activities for trainees to work out or engage in tasks that their leaders provided them with. Over all the place was extremely active and people were running back and forth with something to do. Guiding her over to the recruitment center, Gary was the one to lead her in and introduce her to her drill instructor.

"Sergeant W, I would like to introduce to you a new recruit" said Price to a man sitting down behind a desk.

He wore the traditional D.I. uniform and stood up from desk to listen to Price.

"Lieutenant Ghost, Sergeant Roach, Captain Price, and what is your name new recruit" said Sergeant W.

"Shiva, sir" she said.

"Shiva, step outside and go find Sergeant D, you will be enrolled with him for your boot camp training, GO" said Sergeant W.

"Who?" asked Shiva confused.

"Did I not make myself clear! Why are you still standing here? MOVE NOW!" yelled Sergeant W.

Startled a bit by the yelling, she looked at her brother who was unable to look at her as she walked outside rather confused and a little scared. Not given a specific location, she didn't know where to start looking for Sergeant D. Remembering the yelling from near the entrance of the camp, that was her first choice to walk to.

"You think she'll be alright? It was a bit sudden to test her in locating someone, especially when yelled at" said Gary.

"The point of it is to communicate with others and get the information she needs. One of the skills she will have to develop here" said Price.

"Still, from what she's been though, don't you think it's a little harsh?" said Gary.

"She'll have to get over it, mate. That fear needs to develop into strength, she'll be alright" said Simon.

"...I'm gonna go check up on her!" said Gary running out.

"Sibling I assume?" asked Sergeant W.

"Sister, only family left" said Price.

Make sure he doesn't get too involved with her during training, it won't help her become a better person if she has someone to always rely on" said Sergeant W.

"Right" said Price.

"Let's hope for the best for her" said Simon.


End file.
